Happy New Year from Bowen Legacy Dental! After the wonderful indulgences of the holiday season, the new year is the perfect time to kick off a wellness journey. Yet every year, New Year’s resolutions are begun and ended—all before February rolls around. Setting smaller, more easily achievable goals is a great way to live a healthier lifestyle without becoming overwhelmed. Here are five easy habits to adopt this new year to benefit your dental and total-body health.
Staying hydrated is an extremely important step in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, drinking enough water regulates your body temperature, lubricates joints, delivers nutrients to cells, and helps organs function. Hydration can even improve sleep, cognition, and mood. Water is great for your dental health, as well. Bacteria and food particles build up on your teeth throughout the day. Drinking water keeps your teeth and gums clean, washing away pesky bacteria and food particles.
To incorporate more water into your everyday intake, try drinking a big glass of water first thing in the morning. And pick out a fun water bottle to bring with you everywhere. Having water on hand at all times helps to kickstart this healthy habit! For some extra flavor, try adding some lemons, cucumbers, or fruit into your water as well.
It’s no secret that soda is not good for our bodies. Often, when people set out to eat healthier in the new year, they attempt to cut out many of their favorites all at once, which can be overwhelming. Instead, start out small and say goodbye to soda. Soda is packed with sugar and chemicals. Sugar-sweetened beverages are also a major contributing factor in type 2 diabetes. When it comes to your dental health, drinking soda can also be detrimental. Soda is very acidic, and regular consumption can wear down enamel, leaving you vulnerable to tooth decay and cavities.
To cut out soda this new year, find a new favorite beverage. Unsweetened tea (try the local company, Spritz Tea) is a very satisfying cold drink. To get your carbonation fix, try unsweetened sparkling water, like LaCroix, as an occasional treat.
Getting enough sleep (and the right quality of sleep) is crucial for your health. Sleep allows your body to recharge each night and is necessary for proper cognitive and behavioral functions. If you don’t get enough sleep, you could be at a higher risk for certain diseases like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and more. During sleep, your body repairs itself, allowing proper nutrients to reach your teeth and strengthen enamel. Since your enamel is the outermost protective layer, it is vital that it stays strong! Sleep also helps recharge your immune system so it can be ready to fight off bacteria and infections in your mouth.
Adults should sleep a minimum of seven hours each night. If this is typically an issue for you, make sure to avoid caffeine late in the day, put away your screens for an hour before bedtime, and stick to the same bedtime every night. If you have trouble sleeping or wake up feeling exhausted, you may have an airway-related sleep problem that our experts can help you identify and treat.
Staying active is a vital part of staying healthy. Exercise helps deliver nutrients and oxygen to your cells and keeps your cardiovascular system strong. An added bonus, one study published in the Journal of Dentistry found that people who exercised consistently were 54% less likely to develop periodontitis than those who did not exercise.
When setting out to get more exercise, you don’t have to dive straight into intense training. If you do not normally get much exercise, resolving to sit less is a great way to get started. If you’re having a lazy day on the couch, try getting outside to take a nice 30-minute walk. Or turn off the TV and turn on some music for a dance party!
In order to make time for the things you love, it’s important to keep track of your daily activities. Pick up a 2022 planner to mark down all your appointments, daily routine activities, projects, and more. That way, you won’t forget when your next biannual visit to Bowen Legacy Dental is!
Take advantage of the new year and get a fresh start by incorporating these five easy habits to your daily routine. To book your next appointment with our team, call 614.459.2300.
